Privacy policy
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Innova Psychology (Innova) is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients, and staff, and takes the protection of personal and health information very seriously.
As part of providing its psychological services to you, Innova needs to collect and record personal and health information from you that is relevant to your situation, such as your name, contact information, medical history and other relevant information. This collection of your personal information, personal data, and / or health information (Information) will be a necessary part of the psychological assessment and treatment that is conducted by Innova for you.
This policy outlines our approach to managing Information, collected as part of provision of a service, enquiry about provision of service, or in accessing our website. Innova complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the relevant Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act, together with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the applicable Health Privacy Principles in the Health Records Act, when handling Information.
Collection and Management of Information
Purpose of collecting information
Your Information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating your presenting issue(s). Innova also collects Information for the purposes of communicating with you. The Information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions and enables your Innova psychologist (Psychologist) to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.
How information is collected
Your Information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation e.g. via notes that Innova’s psychologists take to document important details relevant to your assessment and treatment. Information is also collected when you provide information directly to Innova Psychology using online intake forms or enquiry forms, correspondence via email, when you interact directly with our team, and when other health practitioners provide Information to Innova, via referrals, correspondence and medical reports. Innova also utilises a note taking tool called “Heidi” to accurately and efficiently capture the details of our discussions and the outcomes of our appointments. Heidi ensures that we can focus more on our conversations and less on manual note taking, enhancing the quality of care you receive. Details about Heidi and your consent to use this technology will be detailed and provided to you in writing separately before your initial consultation.
Storage of information
Client information is predominantly stored in Halaxy, which is an Australian-based secure private practice software program commonly used in the healthcare industry. For more information regarding Halaxy, please see the Halaxy Terms of Use and Halaxy Privacy Policy. The information on each file includes Information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, medical history, and other personal and health information collected as part of providing the psychological service. If your psychologist prefers hard-copy notes, hard-copy client files are held in a secure filing cabinet which is accessible only to authorised employees and psychologists. Your data may also be stored in Heidi. For more information regarding Heidi, please visit the Heidi website being heidihealth.com and see its Privacy Policy, and also see Innova’s Terms and Conditions
Innova is also required by law to store your records for a minimum of 7 years (or until the age of 25 if under 18 years of age). Innova also retains Information for administrative purposes such as for Medicare requirements.
Data security
Innova has stringent security protocols in place regarding data security. Innova’s clinical system, Halaxy, and all back-end systems are protected with multi-factor authentication.
Innova takes reasonable steps to protect your Information from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Records are held securely for future retrieval in accordance with applicable laws and good business practice. If Innova no longer needs, or is no longer required, to retain Information, this Information will be destroyed or de-identified.
Disclosure of information
The Information you disclose will remain confidential and will not be shared with any other parties, unless you otherwise request/permit (e.g. you request a written report for work/study or you wish to involve a loved one). However, your Psychologist (or Innova’s employees, representatives, contractors or agents) may be required to breach confidentiality and disclose your Information in the following unlikely situations:
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if failure to disclose the Information would, in the reasonable belief of your Psychologist, place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
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Information is subpoenaed by a court of law; or
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your Psychologist suspects that a child is at risk of neglect, abuse or harm (i.e. mandatory reporting); or
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an authorised member of the Department of Human Services believes on reasonable grounds that your Psychologist has information that is relevant to the protection or development of a child in respect of whom a protection order is in force.
There also may be times where as part of the assessment and therapy process, it may be helpful for your Psychologist to liaise with other people that are relevant to your therapy goals (e.g. your GP, specialist, etc.). Please note that if you intend to claim rebates from Medicare or another organisation (such as NDIS), then your Psychologist must provide summary reports, letters and be open to professional discussion regarding assessment and treatment progress.
The clinic also receives phone calls from parents of school-aged clients, whereby law we are required to confirm with the parent the attendance at the practice of a client who is under the age of 18 years.
Consequences of not providing information
If you do not wish for your information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, Innova may not be in a position to provide its psychological services to you.
Consent to providing information
By contacting us (via website enquiry, phone, or other written communication such as email), by completing Innova’s client Consent Form, or otherwise engaging in Innova’s services, you consent to Innova and Innova’s psychologists collecting, using and disclosing your information for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy.
Requests for access and correction to client information
At any stage, you may request to see and correct the Information about you kept on file. Your Psychologist may discuss the contents with you and/or give you a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and any other legislative requirements. If satisfied that Information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, Innova will take reasonable steps in the circumstances to ensure that this Information is corrected.
All requests by clients for access to or correction of Information held about them should be lodged with your Psychologist via their email address at info@innovapsychology.com.au. These requests will be responded to in writing within 14 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.
Our Website
Innova’s website uses ‘cookies’ as part of our website analytics. Cookies are a form of technology used to track data using your browser’s functionality. Cookies are small data files that websites place on computers or devices to enhance the functionality of the website, for example identifying if a person has visited our website before, and record details of the user’s visit.
Most browsers have the option to enable notifications if you receive a cookie, or block cookies entirely if you wish.
Concerns
If you would like to discuss the contents of our Privacy Policy, or how Innova has handled your Information, please email info@innovapsychology.com.au. Upon request, you can also obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your Information should be handled. Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, disclosure of, or access to, your Information, you may do so with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Updates to the Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy maybe amended or varied from time to time. Any changes will be effective upon the posting of the updated policy on our website. By continuing to use our website and receive Innova’s services, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should cease using our website and inform Innova immediately and prior to receiving any further psychological services.